The present disclosure relates to a dispensing apparatus, and particularly to an apparatus that dispenses a fluid-like substance (e.g., oil, perfume, liquid medicines, etc.). It is often desirable to dispense a small amount of a fluid-like substance in a controlled manner. One convenient way of dispensing such a substance is through use of a syringe. The container or syringe housing forms a cavity that receives the substance. A first end of the syringe housing has a small opening through which the substance is dispensed. A plunger or plunger assembly has a piston adjacent a first end thereof where the piston sealingly engages an inner surface of the housing as the piston slides in the cavity. The plunger also includes a shaft that extends axially outward from the syringe housing, for example, at an end opposite that of the small dispensing opening. It is intended that the shaft be engaged (finger, thumb) by a user at an outer, terminal end of the shaft to depress the piston, i.e., move the piston through the cavity, and thereby discharge fluid through the syringe opening in a manner well known in the art. Oftentimes a needle or other dispensing head can be selectively mounted on and selectively removed from the syringe housing dispensing opening. When removed, it would also be desirable to be able to store the needle or dispensing head for easy access when the user would like to re-mount the dispensing head on the syringe housing dispensing opening.
In certain instances, it would also be desirable to prevent tampering with the contents of the syringe housing, for example, by children. It would be desirable that access to the substance contained in the syringe housing be limited through use of a child-resistant threaded cap for the container, e.g., one that requires simultaneous actions on the cap to remove the cap from the container such as depressing and rotating, squeezing and rotating, etc.
Related tampering issues include apprising the user whether the contents of the syringe housing have been previously exposed or to prevent a user from subsequently recharging the syringe housing once the fluid contents have been dispensed therefrom. That is, there may be a desire to have the contents of the syringe housing dispensed only once. In those situations, therefore, once the plunger assembly is depressed and the fluid contents emptied from the syringe housing, the user cannot refill the housing with additional fluid.
Still another desired feature is to seal the fluid contents of the syringe housing between uses.
It would also be desirable to monitor an amount of fluid remaining in the syringe housing, particularly when adding other features to the assembly makes it difficult to view the amount of fluid remaining in the syringe housing to be dispensed, or evaluate view the amount of fluid that has been dispensed.
Still another desirable feature would be the ability to easily store the needle or dispensing head in a convenient fashion with the syringe assembly.
Accordingly, a need exists for one or more of these features to be added to a syringe assembly.